


No Time Like the... Past?

by littledemon66



Series: Second Chance AU [1]
Category: South Park
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), College Student Butters, Living Together, M/M, Swearing, Temporary Character Death, Time Travel, its not south park without cursing, kenny dies but he comes back as usual, more info in the notes, please read the end notes, theyre super important, this will be continued on instagram as a semi-interactive story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:28:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27559090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littledemon66/pseuds/littledemon66
Summary: Kenny and Butters have always dreamed of living together. But when they make their dream a reality by moving in together during Butters' first year of college, things are a lot harder than they seem. With their relationship crumbling under the pressure of adult responsibilities and struggles, Kenny wonders how life would have went if they hadn't rushed into things. But after another seemingly normal death for Kenny, he wakes up two years in the past. He's been given a second chance at life to make things better for him and Butters.
Relationships: Kenny McCormick/Leopold "Butters" Stotch
Series: Second Chance AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2014417
Comments: 7
Kudos: 31





	No Time Like the... Past?

The crisp morning November wind made Kenny shiver. He pulled his parka tighter around him, trying to keep some semblance of warmth. He was going to need a new jacket soon if he didn’t want to get sick. Early mornings were always freezing. His shift at a local convenience store just ended so now he was walking home alone at four in the morning.

It wasn’t much of a walk, so Kenny began to jog to keep his temperature up. He’d rather drain his energy running than walk in the cold for longer than he needed to. He paused in front of the street, quickly looking both ways and crossing the street. He kept his pace of a light jog up, just wanting to be home.

For a moment, he considered calling Butters to tell him he was on his way home. But he shook his head, clearing the thought. That might have been something he would’ve done a year ago, but not anymore. Butters used to insist that Kenny call when he was on his way home. Whenever Kenny asked why, Butters just said that he worried about him and the odd hours of work. So he called. The last thing he ever wanted to do was worry his boyfriend.

But things were a little different now. When they first moved in together, they were so optimistic. They were so sure that they could juggle part-time jobs, Butters being a full-time college student, and bills. But reality washed over them when they saw just how little minimum wage was in comparison to the cost of living. They were barely making ends meet. That, of course, caused fights. Nowadays, they acted more like roommates than an actual couple.

Kenny was so lost in thought that he almost walked right past his apartment building. He backpedaled a few steps and went into his building. Deciding against waiting for the elevator, Kenny ran up a flight of stairs. It wasn’t worth waiting for the elevator when he lived on the second floor. He took his keys out of his pocket and quietly unlocked the door. Butters was probably asleep by now and he didn’t want to wake him up.

Kenny went into his apartment, closing and locking the door behind him. He pulled his parka off and tossed it onto the back of the couch. He tossed his wallet and keys onto the kitchen counter, not bothering to put them in their proper place. Kenny dragged himself to the bedroom, not caring to change his clothes. He saw Butters curled up on his side of the bed, fast asleep. Not wanting to bother the sleeping boy, Kenny crawled into bed and lightly pulled the sheets over him. A few months ago, Kenny would’ve spooned the shit out of Butters. But all he could do now was look longingly at his boyfriend’s back before turning over.

He stared up at the ceiling blankly. Despite being exhausted, he couldn’t fall asleep. He took a few guilty glances at Butters’ sleeping figure. Did they rush into things too quickly? They moved in together about a year and a half ago when Butters had started his second semester of college. They had both dreamed of living together since high school. Had that been a mistake? He knew exactly why they wanted to get away from their respective families, but…

He knew he wasn’t that much older now than he was in high school, but he couldn’t help but feel like high school was a time where he was young and dumb. Kenny had been well aware of the cost of living ever since he was a child. Growing up dirt poor did that to you. Kenny was used to working constantly to keep his family afloat. But Butters had grown up in a solidly middle class household. Kenny could see that Butters was doing his best to adjust to the different lifestyle.

But he couldn’t stop himself from wondering what would have happened if they never moved in together. Would Butters have just continued dorming at his school? Would Kenny have stayed in South Park until Karen finished high school and went on to college? Was this really the best it would get? As much as Kenny wanted to pretend, he could feel his relationship with Butters starting to crack under pressure. Living together was stressful when they barely had the money for rent and groceries. He could feel the tension between the two of them when they were both in the same room.

Not that it mattered anyway. They barely even got to see each other on a daily basis. Butters left for classes at about noon and came back at around seven at night. Kenny’s work schedule had him going to bed at five in the morning and waking up after two in the afternoon. He always had to leave for work before Butters even got home. The only time they could even see each other was on Sunday. Now a month into his third year of college, Butters usually had plenty of schoolwork to keep him busy all day and Kenny would try to pick up extra shifts.

God, he couldn’t keep thinking about this. He quickly switched his train of thought to his high school days when him and Butters were happier. The looming threat of a very likely falling out and break up made its place in the back of Kenny’s brain, lingering. He closed his eyes, willing himself not to cry. How would Butters react if he was woken up by Kenny’s tears? No, it wouldn’t happen. So Kenny squeezed his eyes shut and tried to control his breathing, gasping in short and choppy breaths and exhaling forcefully. He would not cry, he would not cry, he would not cry.

Too late. Kenny felt the wetness of his tears on his cheeks. He hiccuped quietly, trying to stay quiet. He turned to his side, back facing Butters, and pressed his face into his pillow. He didn’t even know why he was crying anymore. He stared directly at the wall and bit his tongue, hoping that would stop the tears. It didn’t work. So Kenny just laid there, letting himself cry. All he could hope for was that Butters didn’t wake up and see him like this. He put an arm over his eyes, hoping that when Butters woke up, he wouldn’t look too closely at the tear stains on his cheeks.

He couldn’t stop himself from trembling, so all he could do was put more distance between him and Butters. Letting out a shaky sigh, Kenny pulled the sheets up slightly. He forced himself to think about happier times when his biggest worry about his relationship was Butters’ parents catching them. He bit his lower lip to keep himself quiet as he tried to fall asleep. Sleep wasn’t all that difficult anymore. He was exhausted and crying always made him even more tired.

So Kenny closed his eyes and attempted to sleep, unaware of waking movements coming from next to him.

~~~~~

The sunlight coming from the window made Kenny groggily wake up. The curtains were closed but light still somehow managed to get in. Kenny swore, sitting up slowly. He reached for his phone to check what time it was. He never set alarms because he just naturally woke up after a certain amount of time. He glanced at his phone. Almost three in the afternoon. Then he noticed a few notifications from Butters. He unlocked his phone to check the text.

_Leoooooo uwu: hey, i um_

_Leoooooo uwu: i think we need to talk_

_Leoooooo uwu: my 5pm class got canceled_

_Leoooooo uwu: so i’ll be home before you go to work_

“We need to talk?” Kenny said aloud. Now he wasn’t the type to get nervous over a text but this terrified him. So he texted Butters back.

_is it important_

To his surprise, he got an almost instantaneous response. He looked down at his phone to read the reply.

_Leoooooo uwu: super important_

_Leoooooo uwu: i’ll probably home in half an hour_

_Leoooooo uwu: you’ll be there, right?_

_i’ve got like 2 hours before i gotta leave_

_can i get a hint????????_

_Leoooooo uwu: kenny i’m not kidding_

_Leoooooo uwu: this is really serious_

_Leoooooo uwu: i’ll be home soon_

_i_

_ok see you then_

When Butters didn’t respond for a few minutes, Kenny tossed his phone to the side. Determined to at least look presentable for this proclaimed serious conversation, he rushed to the bathroom to quickly brush his teeth. After doing so, he looked in the mirror. There was barely any sign of his… situation last night. He washed his face anyway, just to get rid of whatever tear stains he had on his face. He’d just take a shower later. He left the bathroom and headed for the kitchen to fix himself a bowl of cereal when he heard someone running outside in the hall.

What the hell, Kenny thought. Who was running at three in the afternoon? He was ready to ignore it completely when he heard loud banging on the door. His first instinct was that it was Butters running away from something or someone. Kenny nearly tripped over himself running to the door. He opened it forcefully, ready to pull Butters inside.

Outside the door stood a man Kenny didn’t recognize. He looked panicked though, trembling and eyes wide open. As soon as he saw Kenny open the door, he grabbed him by the shoulders.

“Oh thank god! I’m so sorry to bother you but,” the man made several rapid gestures with his hands, “it’s my friend! He… something happened. Please! I’ve been trying to get help but no one’s answered the door so far!”

“What-What happened?!” Kenny tried to get some information out of the man in front of him. As the man stammered out a response, Kenny grabbed his parka and his keys.

“We’re not from around here and… and we were in the area. To meet a friend! Everything was fine, but-but… He just collapsed! Please… my phone! It… It’s dead! Please!” The man begged. “Do you have a phone?”

“Shit, yeah. Hold on.” Kenny stepped away from the door, running back inside his apartment to get his phone. He tugged his parka on and came back to the door. The man was still standing at the door. Kenny left his apartment, locking the door behind him. He held his phone in his hand, already dialing 911. “Lead the way.”

“O-Okay, thank you so much!” The man was clearly hyperventilating and on the verge of tears. He took Kenny by the arm and they ran down the stairs and out of the apartment building. Kenny handed his phone to the man when it was ringing.

“Here, tell them what happened when someone picks up,” Kenny said. They both ran across the street and the man took the phone gratefully.

“Oh, thank you so much. I won’t forget this,” the man said through tears. Then he perked up and began talking on the phone. He stopped running after they crossed the street, making Kenny stop in his tracks as well.

On the sidewalk was a man on the ground, clutching his chest. He wasn’t a doctor and his deaths were almost never due to medical conditions, but Kenny could tell this was probably a heart attack. The man that had ran with him collapsed to his knees in front of his friend. He was relaying all sorts of information to the operator on the phone. All Kenny could do was stand there awkwardly. Then the man turned to him and handed the phone to him.

“They’re on their way… Thank you so much,” the man thanked him repeatedly.

“It’s really no problem,” Kenny said awkwardly. He was terrible in situations like these. He didn’t even know these people and he definitely wasn’t used to being the one to get help for someone. Normally he was the one on the ground dying. “Is there anything else I can do?”

“If it’s not too much trouble…” The man looked up from his friend. “Can you just stay until the ambulance comes?”

“Yeah, I can stay. Did they say how long it would take?” Kenny asked.

“Shouldn’t,” he sniffled, “shouldn’t be too long.”

He glanced past Kenny and looked at the street. He weakly tried to get up, but fell back to his knees. Kenny rushed forward and put his hands on the man’s shoulders.

“Dude, just sit down. The ambulance’ll get here soon. Your friend’s gonna be okay, I promise,” Kenny said, trying to soothe the man down.

“My… my wallet,” the man said hoarsely, pointing to the road. “Do you mind getting it for me?”

Kenny looked behind him onto the street and lying there was a small wallet. Kenny told the man to stay put and he went to go retrieve it. Before walking onto the road, Kenny looked both ways. The road was clear so Kenny went to the middle of the street and picked the wallet up. He was about to go back and return the wallet when he saw a car headed right for him.

Fuck, he was gonna miss the important conversation with Butters. He braced himself for impact. Hopefully it was over quickly.

~~~~~

Instead of waking up to the golden gates of Heaven like usual, Kenny found himself in his childhood bed. What the hell, Kenny thought. Every single time he’s died, he went to Heaven for a day or so, then dropped to Hell until he was brought back to life. But somehow he had skipped the afterlife? And got put in his childhood home back in South Park? What the fuck was going on? He sat up in his bed, looking around for some kind of clue. The best he could do was check his phone.

When he turned his phone on, the date surprised him. It was August 18, 2018? But… it was literally just November 2020. Now he was extremely confused. Did he somehow get sent _back_ in time? How was that even possible? He was always dead for a few days, maybe a few weeks at most. But he was always pushed into the future, never the past.

As he was panicking, he got a text. Kenny looked down at the message. It was from an unknown number.

_Unknown Number: Hello, Kenneth_

_who is this_

_Unknown Number: Straight to the point!_

_Unknown Number: I like that in a person_

_Unknown Number: Well, I’m sure you’re already starting to understand what’s going on, yes?_

_that doesnt answer my question_

_Unknown Number: Impatient, are we?_

_Unknown Number: Well, let’s just say I saved you from a… bad ending_

_wtf does that even mean_

_Unknown Number: Do you know what Leopold was going to tell you?_

_how do you know about butters_

_are YOU the fucker thats responsible for this shit???????_

_Unknown Number: Oh you’ve got an attitude on you_

_Unknown Number: But I’ll answer your questions_

_Unknown Number: I suppose you could say I caused this_

_what the fuck did you do_

_Unknown Number: Just caused you to die when you did_

_were you driving the car????_

_Unknown Number: Of course not_

_Unknown Number: I’d rather not have blood on my hands_

_Unknown Number: No, all I did was lead you to the right place at the right time_

_WAIT_

_youre the guy that came to my house?????_

_Unknown Number: Surprised?_

_Unknown Number: I’ll admit, my acting almost made me believe there was someone’s life on the line!_

_so are you gonna explain how im two whole ass years in the past_

_Unknown Number: I was getting to it_

_Unknown Number: To put it simply, you’ve been selected to be given a Second Chance_

_Unknown Number: Which means that you get to relive a certain part of your life so you can make changes_

_Unknown Number: You’ve expressed heavy regret about the direction your life was headed so you get this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!_

_Unknown Number: Excited?_

_gonna need a bit more explanation than that_

_Unknown Number: Yes, most people usually do_

_Unknown Number: Do you know what time period you’re in and why it’s significant?_

_its august 18 2018_

_i graduated high school like 2 months ago_

_did something super important happen today_

_Unknown Number: In your situation, it was a lot harder to find a specific day to plop you in_

_Unknown Number: So I suppose I’ll just tell you_

_Unknown Number: Today is the day Leopold starts bringing up you two moving in together_

_Unknown Number: All you have to do is go meet him at your elementary school playground at midnight_

_Unknown Number: Remember now?_

_wait so i get a redo? on all this?_

_Unknown Number: Yes! You’ll be able to change the things you say and do now_

_Unknown Number: And that will all change your life to what you want it to be_

_so i got dropped to this day to tell butters im not living with him???_

_Unknown Number: That’s… what your complaint was. Was it not?_

_well yeah i guess_

_can i undo all this if its worse than my normal life_

_Unknown Number: A wonderful question!_

_Unknown Number: As of now, no. This is your second chance, so what you do here is permanent_

_Unknown Number: You will live this life forever_

_Unknown Number: So use your knowledge of what happens in the future to make the right decisions!_

_look im not interested_

_i dont want this second chance bullshit_

_bring me back to my regular life_

_Unknown Number: Weren’t you the one that wanted to know what would have happened had you not moved in with your boyfriend?_

_Unknown Number: This is your chance to find out_

_yeah i wanted to know_

_but what if its worse than what i already had_

_i dont wanna be stuck in this timeline or whatever the fuck you call it_

_Unknown Number: Many people share the same sentiment as you_

_Unknown Number: Which is why I will be available to answer any questions you have the entire time_

_Unknown Number: I will be able to answer questions about the near future of this timeline_

_im gonna have to decline_

_im not interested_

_Unknown Number: Oh dear, sweet Kenneth_

_Unknown Number: Dying will not get you out of this if that was your plan_

_Unknown Number: Which brings me to my next point_

_Unknown Number: Because of your… unique quirk of immortality_

_Unknown Number: If you die here, you will die permanently_

_Unknown Number: You will not come back_

_Unknown Number: Not to this timeline or your original one_

_so this is just all to kill me forever????_

_i die all the time from stupid shit thats usually not even my fuckin fault_

_im only gonna last a day or two_

_Unknown Number: I’m well aware of your luck_

_Unknown Number: Which is why I will be overlooking how things go_

_Unknown Number: I will not allow accidental deaths to happen_

_Unknown Number: The only thing I cannot stop is if you take your own life or if you purposefully put your life in danger_

_so youre a god figure or something_

_fan fuckin tastic_

_now i have to relive 2 whole years of my life_

_fuck you im just gonna do the same shit i did before_

_Unknown Number: I will ask you again_

_Unknown Number: Do you know what Leopold wanted to tell you?_

_no i dont_

_but i would know if you didnt kill me before he got home asshole_

_Unknown Number: Would you like to know?_

_Unknown Number: I’m sure that it will most definitely change your mind_

_ugh fine tell me_

_Unknown Number: He was going to tell you that he wanted to break up with you_

_Unknown Number: But you were expecting that, weren’t you?_

_are_

_are you serious_

_Unknown Number: Which is why I’ve brought you here_

_Unknown Number: The tension from barely having enough money to live was too much for him to handle_

_Unknown Number: Your relationship was starting to get rocky and it was meant to fall apart as soon as you moved in together_

_Unknown Number: Although I’m quite surprised it lasted as long as it did_

_so youre saying_

_if i dont move in with butters_

_we won’t break up??_

_Unknown Number: I’m saying you have a chance to avoid the tension and unhappiness now_

_you said youd answer questions i had about the near future_

_so answer the question_

_will we still be together if i dont move in with him_

_Unknown Number: Depends_

_Unknown Number: Will you move in with him later than you did before? Or not at all?_

_youre like one of those genies that twists wishes to be horseshit_

_so im not getting anything out of you_

_Unknown Number: The only way to find out what lies in the future is to experience it_

_so the rules are just dont die??_

_Unknown Number: There is another_

_you gonna tell me_

_Unknown Number: You may only tell TWO people about this ordeal_

_Unknown Number: I’m aware that this is quite a heavy burden to bear alone_

_Unknown Number: So I will allow you to tell two people about this_

_and if i tell more than 2???_

_Unknown Number: You will die and no one will remember your existence_

_high stakes for something i didnt even ask for_

_Unknown Number: You don’t have much of a choice here_

_Unknown Number: I should mention that if you die at all during this, you will be immediately forgotten_

_so basically if i die no one remembers me_

_and youre gonna make sure nothing unnatural kills me_

_so all my usual deaths wont happen_

_Unknown Number: Correct_

_Unknown Number: The only way you can die here is if you take your own life or if you put your life at risk purposefully_

_and youll answer questions_

_Unknown Number: I will, yes_

_and i can tell 2 people about this_

_Unknown Number: You can_

_can you guarantee theyll believe me_

_or is that a gamble_

_Unknown Number: You’re starting to grow on me so_

_Unknown Number: I’ll guarantee that ONE person will believe you_

_Unknown Number: You will be able to choose who is guaranteed_

_so one person wont believe me?_

_that seems a little pointless_

_Unknown Number: Incorrect_

_Unknown Number: Let’s say you want to tell a very skeptical friend and a friend who is more likely to believe you_

_Unknown Number: If you request it, I can guarantee that the skeptical friend will believe you_

_Unknown Number: Then it is up to you to convince the other friend_

_what do i have to do to “request” it then_

_Unknown Number: All you need to do is send a message_

_Unknown Number: If you ever need anything answered or done for you, it’s one simple message away_

_Unknown Number: If it’s within reason, I can do it for you_

_awfully nice for a system that forces people to relive their lives against their will_

_Unknown Number: Would you rather go back to your regular life and let Leopold break up with you?_

_…_

_no_

_Unknown Number: That’s what I thought_

_Unknown Number: Now, are you ready for your Second Chance?_

_ready as ill ever be i guess_

_Unknown Number: Wonderful! Leopold should be texting you any second now!_

_hold on_

_if im gonna be talking to you for a long time_

_you got some kind of name or something???_

_Unknown Number: A name? Yes, you do need something to call me_

_Unknown Number: You can call me Admin_

_sounds lame_

_ill call you ad_

_Unknown Number: That… is unexpected_

_Unknown Number: But fine, call me what you wish_

_so how do i know youre not lying to me_

_about all of this_

_Unknown Number: I cannot lie to you_

_Unknown Number: Everything I tell you will be the truth_

_Unknown Number: There is a catch though that can benefit you_

_Unknown Number: If you catch me in a lie, you can request me to put you back in your regular life_

_Unknown Number: And I will do so_

_Unknown Number: But only if you catch me in a lie_

_basically if you lie to me and i know its a lie_

_youll let me go back to my actual life_

_Unknown Number: Yes_

_Unknown Number: Or if you’d rather continue with this life, I can grant one wish that I normally wouldn’t be able to_

By the time he was done talking to this Admin guy, Kenny’s head was spinning. He got info dumped far too quickly than he would have liked. So basically he got sent back in time to try and make his life better. He could only tell two people about this and he had to avoid dying at all costs. If he died, it would be permanent and no one would remember his entire existence. No pressure.

He added Admin to his contacts. He had a feeling that he would be talking to them very often. So he had the chance to possibly make his future better. Kenny knew that the reason his relationship with Butters cracked was because of financial issues. So all he had to do was postpone moving in. He just had to save up more money and move in later. It didn’t seem all that difficult. As he was trying to wrap his brain around this new concept, his phone buzzed with a new notification from Butters.

_Butterbaby <3333: hey kenny!! _

_Butterbaby <3333: can you come to the playground tonight??? _

_what for hMMMM_

_Butterbaby <3333: its real importanttttt _

_Butterbaby <3333: nothing bad i promise _

_course ill be there tf_

_when you want me there_

_Butterbaby <3333: uhhhhhh hows midnight sound?? _

_sounds good for ME but what about your parents_

_Butterbaby <3333: dont you worry about them _

_Butterbaby <3333: ill pull a lil sneaky on em!! _

_god i love you_

_ill be there_

_Butterbaby <3333: :DDD _

_Butterbaby <3333: see you then!!! _

Okay, so it was about 5pm, so Kenny had plenty of time to kill. Maybe he should get reacquainted with his childhood home and town? Yeah, that was a start. Kenny got out of bed and a wave of nostalgia hit him as he looked around the room. It wasn’t the best living situation in the world, but it was home. He went over to the closet, opening the door carefully. He smiled at his old Mysterion costume he had hung up. He looked at the opening in his closet that led out of his room to the backyard. He clearly remembered sneaking out of his house in his superhero costume to fight crime when he was younger. And he remembered his fights with a certain Professor Chaos.

Kenny reached out and touched the fabric, smiling to himself. He recognized most of the stuff in his closet from his early childhood. He closed the closet door, looking around the room. He barely had anything to note on his walls anymore. All that was really up was when he had written his name in crayon on his wall. Kenny never had the heart to try to get rid of it so it stayed there through the years.

He heard someone moving on the other side of the wall. That must be Karen. Kenny didn’t get to see her as often as he’d liked to, so he was excited to see her. Even if they were both two years in the past. He left his room and burst into Karen’s room.

“Would it kill you to knock?” Karen asked, looking up from her phone. She looked annoyed but Kenny couldn’t bring himself to care.

“It definitely would,” Kenny answered, grinning. He hadn’t seen her in so long. “Gonna go see Butters tonight.”

“Gonna be gay?” Karen laughed. “Don’t be nasty out in public.”

“Fuck you.” Kenny rolled his eyes in mock annoyance. “Just cover for me.”

“You owe me for this,” Karen said. “What’s the payment?”

“You can have all of the leftovers from work this weekend,” Kenny bargained. He was still working at City Wok after all these years. He was always allowed to take home any leftovers at the end of his shift on Sunday. He usually gave most of it to Karen anyway, but she didn’t know that. He let her believe that he ate most of it and gave her what he couldn’t eat.

“All of it?!” Karen was shocked, but her expression quickly melted into a smile. “You mean it?”

“Want me to throw in a pony?” Kenny asked sarcastically. “I said what I said. Unless you don’t want food.”

“Have fun out there!” Karen quipped. “Have a _wonderful_ time!”

“You’re desperate,” Kenny said, about to leave his sister’s room.

“Okay? And you’re offering me food when I’m hungry.” Karen shrugged. “Now go away. You’re bothering me.”

“I promise to bring you food and this is how you treat me?” Kenny leaned against the doorframe dramatically. “Is there no mercy in the world for a poor boy like me?”

“Not when you’re dramatic like that.” Karen looked back down at her phone. “Shoo, go do drugs or something.”

“Will do!” Kenny closed the door to Karen’s room and went back to his own room. He looked at his phone in boredom. He didn’t want to go outside just yet and he wasn’t sure if his parents were home. He really didn’t want to have a conversation with them just yet.

Well, the Admin person _did_ say they could do stuff for him if he asked. Maybe jumping forward a few hours was part of their skill set? Well, it was worth a shot. He picked his phone up and texted the number.

_question_

_Admin Fucko: Ask away_

_can you like_

_fast forward time???_

_Admin Fucko: Yes, I can_

_what the shit really????_

_so you can shoot me ahead to midnight??_

_Admin Fucko: If you’d like me to, then yes_

_how does that work_

_am i gonna get obliterated or something_

_Admin Fucko: No, you won’t be harmed_

_Admin Fucko: It will feel like you’re fainting for a moment_

_Admin Fucko: It only takes a few seconds to do_

_alright big a_

_yeet me to midnight_

_Admin Fucko: I’m going to assume you’re asking me to speed up time to midnight_

_Admin Fucko: I suggest closing your eyes_

_Admin Fucko: It will make the transition much easier_

_Admin Fucko: Just open your eyes when you feel your phone buzz again_

Kenny closed his eyes on command and he felt himself get… lighter? He felt lightheaded and his sense of balance was thrown off for a second. He stumbled a little, trying to regain his balance. Then he felt his phone buzz in his hand. Kenny opened his eyes and his room was almost pitch black.

_Admin Fucko: It’s midnight now_

_oh shit_

_it actually worked_

_Admin Fucko: Of course it worked_

_Admin Fucko: Now Leopold is on his way to the playground so you’d best get going_

_thanks ad!!!_

_i still think youre batshit for making me relive my life but at least youre making it easier_

_Admin Fucko: I choose to ignore the insult so you’re welcome_

Kenny put his phone in his pocket and left his room. The house was almost silent, save for the occasional noise from his parents’ room. Kenny slipped past without a sound and left his house through the front door. He let himself go on autopilot as he walked. He’d made this walk countless times. The playground was where he and Butters met up the most. He walked past the train tracks and followed the sidewalk to the other side of town.

He passed his friends’ houses, sighing in reminiscence. How many times had he walked on this street, whether it be to visit his friends or to go to school? He looked at the darkness in every house. Kenny had always loved to just take a walk around when everyone else was asleep. He couldn’t explain it but it always made his heart flutter.

He walked past the community center and stopped in front of the elementary school. He looked up at the building, smiling to himself. Then Kenny went around to the back of the school where the playground was. He saw Butters already sitting on one of the swings by himself. Silently, he snuck up behind Butters and gave him a big push. Butters screamed in terror and nearly fell off of the swing.

“KENNY!” Butters yelled when he saw Kenny behind him. Kenny couldn’t stop the laughter from bubbling out of him.

“Hey-” Kenny could barely speak between breaths. “Hey, Butters.”

Butters quickly joined in with his quieter giggles. Kenny was laughing so hard that tears were forming in the corners of his eyes. He sat down on the swing next to Butters. Kenny wiped his eyes with his parka sleeve.

“You scared me, Ken! I woulda fell if I wasn’t holding onto the swing!” Butters said through giggles. Kenny took Butters’ hand in his.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Kenny lied. He wasn’t sorry at all. Butters turned to look at Kenny, face beaming, and he swore he felt his heart stop. He could barely remember the last time he saw Butters smile like that. So carefree and genuinely happy. He leaned forward and stole a kiss, relishing in the joy that he felt as he watched Butters’ face redden immediately. “So what’s up?”

“Right!” Butters looked bashful. Kenny started to psyche himself up to turn down the offer of living together. “I was just wonderin’… you know how we’ve always wanted to get out of here together? Maybe we could live together? After I finish up my first semester of college, I mean.”

“That’s in, like, February, right?” Kenny asked, even though he already knew the answer.

“Yeah! What do you think?” Butters asked. Kenny couldn’t bear to look at Butters’ eyes. They were so pleading and hopeful.

“It’s a little soon, y’know?” Kenny internally cringed when he saw Butters physically deflate. “I definitely wanna live with you but… I’m worried about the money.”

“We can scrap that up no problem!” Butters said, still trying to convince him.

“It doesn’t work like that, butterball,” Kenny said. Should he just tell Butters that he knew it wouldn’t work out? But what if Butters took it the wrong way? “How about this? We can save up some more money and move in together in a year or two?”

“You promise?” Butters asked, holding Kenny’s hand tighter. “You’re not just tryin’ to get rid of me, are you?” 

“Course not, Leo. Why would I try to get rid of you?” Kenny squeezed Butters’ hand in comfort. “I just wanna make sure we’re not rushing into things. I don’t want us to be broke.”

“Yeah, I guess…” Butters sighed. “I get it though. We just gotta save up first.”

“Exactly.” Kenny nodded. “Then we can find a place to live together and we can get our happy ending.”

“Are you gonna stay here then?” Butters asked. Kenny had known from the start that he wasn’t going to college right after high school. College was a dream of his, but it wasn’t plausible yet. He didn’t have the best grades to earn himself enough scholarship money and financial aid was a bitch. The last thing he wanted was to get students loans that he would carry for decades.

“Yeah, I’ll probably stick around here. I’ll save up for a nice place,” Kenny said. Wow, he was really changing his future right now. “Come visit during your breaks though.”

“Of course! I’ll visit as often as I can!” Butters promised. “I’ll miss you, Ken.”

“I’ll miss you too, butterfly.” Kenny pressed a kiss onto Butters’ hand. “But we’ve got a little bit before you have to go.”

“Not a lot of time,” Butters said sadly. “I have to leave soon.”

“You’ll be having your birthday there.” Kenny sighed. “It’s on a Tuesday so I doubt you can come back for it.”

“I’ll come back on that weekend!” Butters exclaimed. “And I can spend a day with you and the guys.”

“I’ll have a birthday surprise for you when you come back,” Kenny said. He did this before too. Butters had gone to college and came back on the weekend of his birthday. Him and Kenny spent the day together before he had to leave again.

“Can I have a hint?” Butters gave him puppy dog eyes. “Pleeeeeease?”

“No hints. Nuh uh.” Kenny looked away. He put a hand over Butters’ face to cover it up. “You just gotta wait.”

“Fine.” Butters pouted. “You’re mean.”

“I know, right? I’m so mean for planning something special for your birthday. I can’t believe I would do something like that,” Kenny teased.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it!” Butters complained, shoving Kenny lightly.

“A thanks would be nice.” Kenny tapped his lips. “A kiss would be even sweeter.”

“You’re so annoying.” Butters got up from the swing and stood in front of Kenny. Then he grabbed his face and kissed him chastely. “Thank you very much for being the best boyfriend and for always doing nice things for me.”

“Now that’s more like it.” Kenny pulled Butters into a hug. “And thank you for being the very best boyfriend to spoil all the time.”

They stayed there at the playground for a few more hours, just talking about life. Butters would have to go home at about four in the morning so he could get a few hours of sleep in. His dad usually woke up at about six in the morning for work, so Butters had to be home by at least five thirty. But Kenny wanted Butters to get more sleep, so when it started approaching four, Kenny got up and said that he was going to go home.

He walked Butters home. It was on his way home anyway, so Butters couldn’t complain. He watched his boyfriend climb up the ladder to his window. When Butters got into his room, Kenny waved goodbye. As soon as Butters closed his window, Kenny left to go home. He followed the sidewalk and crossed the train tracks.

He went in through the front door, locking it behind him. He quietly made his way to his room, not wanting to wake anyone up. Then he collapsed onto his bed, tossing his phone to the side. Maybe reliving his life wasn’t so bad. He wouldn’t have to worry about being killed in a freak accident so that gave him even more time to spend alive.

So Kenny lay there in bed, staring at the ceiling. He could fix his relationship with Butters now. Not even fix, but make sure there weren’t problems in the first place! He could make sure that Butters got the college life experience that he dreamed of. Maybe this whole “Second Chance” thing was exactly what he needed after all.

_Timeline altering…_

_Loading…_

_Loading…_

_Saved_

“This should be quite entertaining to watch, don’t you think?”

_Logging off…_

_Thank you for using Second Chance_

**Author's Note:**

> This is gonna be a semi-big project that I'm really excited to work on! This is gonna be continued on Instagram because I've always wanted to do something with lots of reader interaction! So if you're interested, follow @secondchance_sp_au on Instagram. Comments and kudos are always appreciated and they make my day way better :D


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